Directory: Remedies for Grid Vulnerabilities to Solar Flares

From PESWiki

On July 14, George Noory of Coast to Coast AM interviewed journalist and science consultant, Lawrence E. Joseph about "threats to life on Earth, including collapse of power grids from solar flares, the weakening of the magnetic field, and the solar system's move into a new area of space. Joseph is among many who note that a solar electromagnetic pulse (EMP) blast could knock out electricity by permanently destroying transformers in the grid. If a blast like the Carrington Event of 1859 occurred again, we could see 100 million people out of electricity for a couple years." Science doesn't debate this point of vulnerability. It is a well-known fact, backed by the National Academy of Science, and quite easy to comprehend.

Joseph noted that the North American grid is especially vulnerable – more so than Europe – because they use larger step-down voltage transformers, which means a larger hit from the solar EMP. Also, the more northerly latitude makes the North American grid more vulnerable than those countries situated closer to the equator, where the Earth's magnetic shielding is stronger.

It's that latter point that makes the diminishing of the Earth's magnetic shield in general add to the compounding of causal factors.

What is maddening about this is that the vulnerability is a matter of choice, not fate. Joseph points out that installing a kind of surge protection for the power grid would not be that expensive or difficult – especially when contrasted with the expense of the unprotected components failing. He said that the approximate 360 protectors would cost a few hundred million dollars. That's pocket change for the N. American governments – the price of a condom compared to the price of a child, but this baby would not be welcome.

The sun is predicted to go into a climax for flares in 2012. We should be moving with all haste to get the protection in place. The high-intensity flares are not a matter of "if" but "when", as born out in recent history.

We're posting this directory page to compile resources as they become known to us, regarding protecting against the solar EMP phenomenon. PESWiki is a publicly editable site, so if you know of a resource, feel free to log in and edit this page to add a link, with clear and concise wording.

Action

Contact your own utility provider to make sure they are implementing protective measures.

Contract your Senator: Re: the U.S. to install a kind of surge protection for the power grid [in their language it was to protect from cyber-attack on the grid] -- a plan that the House has already approved, but may get stalled in the Senate because the measure is being attached to other issues.

Contact your federal government representatives to urge passage of a bill to require all utilities to implement protective measures; and provide government loans for such equipment. Maybe you could help speed this along by drafting such a bill for your represent to sponsor.

Technologies

Detection and Measurement

EMP > Remedies > NASA’s Solar Shield to mitigate damage to power grid from severe solar storms - A new NASA project called “Solar Shield” is working to develop a forecasting system that can mitigate the impacts of solar storm events and keep the grid electrons flowing. About 30 minutes before impact an incoming CME would sweep past a spacecraft stationed 1.5 million km upstream from Earth, with sensors to then relay intensity measurement information to earth. (GizMag; Oct. 27, 2010)

Grid Protection

Emergency Preparedness / Grid > Vulnerabilities > 'Controlled' power cuts likely as Sun storm threatens national grid - Officials in Britain and the United States are preparing to make controlled power cuts to their national electricity supplies in response to a warning of a possible powerful solar storm hitting the Earth. The controlled power "outages" will protect the National Electricity Grids against damage which could take months or even years to repair should a large solar storm collide with the Earth without any precautions being taken. (Independent; UK; June 13, 2011)

Isolated Protection

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Commentary

News Stories about Protecting the Grid from Solar Flares

Short-Circuiting the Great American Blackout – article by Lawrence Joseph, soon to be published (Huffington Post; coming July 2010)

Grid > Vulnerability to Solar Flares > Power Grid Braces for Sun Storms - A solar storm that reaches Earth could knock out communications, scramble GPS, and leave thousands without power for weeks to months. The tempest can create extra electrical currents in Earth's magnetosphere. The electrical power grid is particularly vulnerable to these extra currents, which can infiltrate high-voltage transmission lines, causing transformers to overheat and possibly burn out. (National Geographic; August 3, 2011)

Emergency Preparedness / Grid > Vulnerabilities > The Solar Storm Threat to America's Power Grid - A known and cataclysmic threat to the U.S. electric power grid is being largely ignored by the President and Congress. Warning events in 1859, 1921, 1989, and 2003 showed the danger that solar activity can pose to electrical power and distribution systems. Now as we move into another solar maximum, with increased vulnerabilities built into our electrical grid, the danger again looms large. (LaRouche; June 13, 2011)

Featured: Grid / Emergency Preparedness > Zero Hour: The Day The Grid Stood Still - There are several causal factors, natural and manmade, that could bring out modern grid to a stand-still, arguing for the need for distributed, hardened power. Disruption could come from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from a military nuclear detonation, or it could come from a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun. (PESN; April 30, 2010)